Confection-coating machine



6 3 6, 4. 2 5, n N A M S U A B L A. 5 2 9v l nl: 2 m J CONFECTION COATING MACHINE 2v sheets-sheet 1 v Filed July 23 1923 IVENToR dhs I ATTORNEYS jan, 27, 1925. n fy A. l.. BAUSMAN CONFECTION CoAT-NG MACHINEy Filled July 23, 1923v j 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n ATTORNEYS Y Patented Jan. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATE-s P.hifi-151cm'-gqppflclg,g

ALoNz'o LINToN BAUSMAN, or SPRINGFIELD, MASS'AcIIusETra ASSIGNon. yTo NA- TIoNAI. EQUIPMENT COMPANY, or SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A coEPonAF TION 0F MASSACHUSETTS.

, coNEEcT'IoN-coATING MACHINE.

' Application mea July 2a,

To all whom zt may concern;

Be it known that I, ALONZO LINTON BAUS- MAN, a citizen of the' United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of 'Massachusetta have invented new `and useful Improvements in Confection-Coating Machines, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to improvements in confectionery coating machines and, while the inventionl is capable of other and general applications, it is particularly advantageous in that type of coating machine in which the coating material is circulated over and over again in a path partially exposed to the air. One example2 of one such type of machine is that whereln the coating is elevated from a supply tank and Hooded over'the goods to be coated,. whiley carried on a travelling wire mesh conveyer, which permits the excess coating to pass therethrough and return to the supply tank. j

The invention has for its broad object to provide, in' a confection coating machine, means for improving the quality of the product, especially in regard `to the color, structure and gloss of the applied coating.

My prior U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,323,948, of December 2, 1919, also had this same general object in viewfand the machine of the present invention, preferably, embodies the improvements of this patent t0- gether with others which effect Still further Improvement in the quality of the applied coating. In my prior patent, the improvement 1n the quality of the coating was ef,- fected largelyby a conditioning and reconditoning of the coating in the main su ply tank, characterized by the removal o air bubbles from the coating-andby improved temperature control.;-

The additional improvement effected in the quality of the applied coating by this invention is due to conditioning means effective on the coatingwhile it is being delivered from the supply tank through the discharge conduit and, by preference, as

closely as possible to the point of discharge. More particularly, it is'proposed to apply in such conduit, a suitable agitating means by which a iinalmixing, or whipping together, of the constituents of the coating will. be eected and, preferably,- in conjunction therewith, Ineens are Y provided to 1923. seriarNo. l653,225. l y j l slightly oo ol the'coatin` -as it passes throu h the conduit', the more c osely to regulatet e temperature of the coatinguat about the time when it isapplied to "the goods "within the necessary close limits j It has vhe'retoforebeen proposed to cool a portion ofthe coating to render it of some- `what thickerconsistency and then to the cooled' and thicker `portions withA the i rbroad principle butin ajdier'ent location and by d'iiierent mechanism which operates 1n a spec1fically different manner, and Vwith advantages.

The invention, in its vpreferred embodi-A ment,- includes a cooling jacket encompassing a portion ofthe discharge conduit and a mixing device, such as a Skeletonscrew which is rotatable within the conduit adjacent the jacket. v The cooled or tempered portions of the coating, ladjacent the walls of the conduit, arem'ixed by the screw with the warmer portions forr'ningthe center lof the' stream, preferably, byl an arrangement whereby the screw moves the first named portion's'backward against the current of the stream." v f 'y Theinvention, aslthus disclosed, is particularlyv applicable to machines of the general type disclosed in 'my prior patent or machines which include. a conduit, as distinguished from other conveying means for the'coating..v It is also applicable to machines in which the coating is delivered directly from the conduit to the goods without the Intermediary of a Shower pan and has the advantage that the final whipping together and intimate mixing of the coating'is effected entirely out of contact with the' air, thus'tendingto her eliminate trouble due to air bubbles in thecoating. i Other objects and" advantages will ap ear in the following descri tion and in the illustrativeI embodiment ofpthe invention Yin the accompanying drawings, in which Fig.A 1 is a sectional elevational view of a coating machine embodying thllveliton; i y

plan view taken Q11 4,

r4Fi 2 is a sectionalv the Ime 2-2 of Fig! r1; f

looY

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevational view of the tem ermg and mixing means associated -withthe discharge conduit; and

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a slightly different location `of the tempering and mixv lng through the pervious conveyer into the tanklO through its open u per end. A

ing means.

. Referring to these ydrawings,-there has been shown, b way of illustrative example, a coating mac ine of the type disclosed in my prior patent, above identified, and, while this particular type of machine has important advantages, and i's preferred, the invention may, nevertheless, be applied with advantage to many other specifically different types of coatingk machines and is largely independent of the particular construction and arrangement of the machine.

. In this particular machine shown, A represents they frame of the machine, formed to provide a supply tank 10 for coating material, and this tank is suitably provided with a jacket 11 to which a suitabletemperature controlling medium is supplied. Within the tank is a stirring device 12, preferably .of the type disclosed in my above identlied prior patent,which device is fixed to a vertically disposed shaft 13, extending through and below the tank to receive j a bevel gear 14, xed thereon. A bevel pinion 15, in mesh with gear 14, is fixed to a shaft 17 mounted in frame A and this shaft is driven by spur gears 18 and 19 from a shaft 20.v The latter extends outside frame A to receive a gear 21, which is driven by a pinion 22 from a motor 23.

Below tank 10 is a gear pump 24, preferably jacketed as shown and connected by a passage 25 with the tank.' The drive shaft of this pump is shown at 26 and it is driven by a chain 27 and suitable s rockets from a shaft 28 upon which are reely rotatable two bevel pinions 29, meshing with the bevel gear 14 on opposite sides thereof. As-v sociated with eachv pinion 29 is a clutch ele-1 ment 30 and sli'dably keyed to shaft 28 1n-y termediate the clutch elements 30 is a sleeve 31, having at its ends suitable clutchelements to engage the elements 30. A shifter 32 is provided to enable sleeve 31 to be moved to connect either fpinion 29 with shaft 28, whereby pump 24 may be driven in either direction. That is, the normal action ofthe pump may be reversed to cause the coatin to be drawnv back into the tank 10, when esired.

.From pump 24 the coating material is conveyed by a jacketed conduit 33 to the goods which are carried by the usual pervious conveyer 35. The. chocolate may pass directly fromr the delivery spout 36 of con-..

duit 33 or through the intermediary of the usual shower pan, represented at 37. v In either case, the candy cores, or centers, supplied to conveyer 35 by a feed belt 38 are ooded with and enveloped by the coating A' Lezama material, in the usual manner. The usual bottoming rolls 39 are provided below conveyer 35 or the purpose of picking up some of the coating and applying itto the bottoms of the -centers,the excess coating returnfan 4Q is mounted on casing andserves to deliver a downward blast ofair through nozzle 41 upon the'confections. rIhe conveyer 35is driven by any suitable means, as.

`45 is rotatably mounted in the conduit and its drive shaft 46 extends outwardly through the pipe fitting 43 which connects the two described legs of the conduit. The shaft 46 preferably passes through a removable plug 44in fitting 43, which plug, when removed, permits the withdrawal of the agitating device as an entirety. This shaft 46 may be conveniently driven from shaft 20 by a chain 47 and suitable Asprocket 47 and, in the case of Fig. 4, by the additional means of intermeshing bevel gears 48. The jacket 49 in Fig. 3 is supplied with a cooling medium through an inlet pipe 50 and, in Fig. 4, the jacket 51 is similarly supplied with a cooling'gmedium through a ipe 52. Exit pipes 53 and 54 are provi ed for jackets 49 and 51,-respectively.

The general operation of the machine will suiiicientlyl appear from the preceding description and for a more complete disclosure of the operation, as well as the construction of the machine, together with the-coating conditioning means, reference is made to the above named prior patent. As to the improved vconditioning means, the stream of chocolate flowing ythrough conduit 33 is subjected, inythose portions adjacent jacket 49 or 51, tothe iniuenceof the `cooling medium and tempered to the proper degree for application to the confections.. Those portions of the stream, which are thus temperedfand thereby rendered of somewhat thicker consistency than the chocolate in the center of the stream, lareV forced backwardlyvby the skeleton screw 45 against the livery for chocolate is a mixture of solid and liquid constitutents, which have a tendency to separate, and it is desirable to keep them intimately mixed and at the proper' temperature right up to the time of application to the goods. It is also considered important to effect this final whipping action, as nearly as may be, out yof contact with the air, for with ordinary whipping devices air may'oftentimes be beaten into the chocolate. The upwardly turned nozzle 36 insures that the conduit will always be filled and prevents air from entering into tllie-conduit and being beaten into the choc o ate.

The described arrangement also leaves the shower pan entirely free from agitating devices and this is also vimportant because the shower pan is open and operators, accustomed through years of operation to coating machines unencumbered by moving parts in the shower pan, are prone through force of habit to reach into the latter and accidents are liable to occur if moving parts, especially in the nature of a beater, are provided in the shower pan.

The invention has been disclosed herein `in an embodiment at present preferred, for illustrative purposes but the scopeI of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather tha-n b the foregoing description.

1. In a con ectionery coating machine, of the type wherein warm coating material is conveyed from a supply tank and delivered to the goods to be coated through a conduit, cooling means for tempering a portion of the stream flowing through said conduit, and means for mixing said tempered Vportion of the stream with the untempered portion thereof.

2. In a confectionery coating machine, of the type wherein warm coating material is conveyed from a supply tank and delivered to the goods to be coated through a conduit, a jacket surrounding a portion of said conduit and adapted fo-r the circulation of a cooling medium therein, whereby the stream of coa-ting material is cooled in those portions adjacent the wall of the conduit, and means for mixing said portions with the warmer coat-ing forming the center ofthe stream.

3. In a confectionery coating machine, of the type wherein warm coating material is conveyed from a supply tank and delivered to the goods to be coated through a conduit, a. j acket surrounding a portion of said conduit and adapted for the circulation of a cooling medium therein, whereby'the stream of coating material is cooled in those portions adjacent the wall of the conduit, and means for scraping back said portions against the current of the stream and caus ing them to mix with the warmer portions thereof. l

4. In a confectionery` coatin machine, having a. supply tank provided with a jacket to which a heating medium is sup liedz a coating vessel and a conduit throu which the coating is conveyed from the ormerto the latter, cooling means for tempering the coating as it travels through said conduit, and agitating means within said conduit and acting on the tempered coating.

5. In a confectionery coating machine, having a supply tank provided with a jacket to which a. heating medium is supplied, a coating vessel and a conduit through which the coating is conveyed from the former to the latter, cooling means for tempering the coating as it travels through said conduit and just prior to its delivery to said vessel, and agitating means within said .conj duit and acting on the tempered coating.

6. In a'confectionery coating machine, of the type wherein warm coating material is conveyed from a supply tank and delivered to the goods to be coated through a conduit,

cooling means for tempering a -portion ofi the stream flowing through said conduit just prior to its delivery to the confections, and means for mixing said tempered portion of the stream with the untempered portion thereof.

7. In a confectionery coating machine, of

the type where warm coating material vis l conveyed from a supply tank and delivered to the goods tobe coated through a conduit, cooling means for tempering a portion of the stream flowing through said conduit,

and a skeleton screw rotatable in said conduit and operable to remove the tempered portion and mix it with the' warmer por tions of the stream. 8. A method of coating confections an the like, which consists in conveying the coating in a fluid state and out of contact with the air to a position above the confecthe like, which consists in conveying the coating in a fluid state and out of contact with the air toa position above the confec- ,Y

tions, in whipping the coating while out of contact with the air before it reaches said position, and in delivering the coating from said position to the confecticis.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

ALONZO LINTON BAUSMAN. 

